Adriana Lima

Biography

Adriana Lima (born 12 June 1981) is a Brazilian model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1999 to 2018. She was the longest-running model and was named "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel" in 2017. 

She is also known as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics since 2003 and for her Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials. At age 15, Lima won Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" competition and took second place the following year in the Ford "Supermodel of the World" competition before signing with Elite Model Management in New York City.

Lima was born on 12 June 1981 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Many sources stated that "Francesca" is her middle name, but Lima herself denied this in an interview with W Radio Colombia in 2010 and confirmed that her name is only Adriana Lima.

 Her parents are Nelson Torres, a carpenter, and Maria das Graças Lima, a social worker. Her father left the family when she was six months old, and Lima was raised only by her mother.

 Lima was raised in the Castelo Branco neighborhood of Salvador. She stated that prior to starting modeling, she had wanted to pursue a career as a pediatrician.

Lima never thought about being a model, although she had won many beauty pageants in elementary school. However, a friend at school wanted to enter a modeling contest and did not want to enter alone, so Lima entered with her. 

Both sent in pictures, and the contest sponsor soon asked Lima to come out for the competition. Soon after, at age 15, she entered and finished in first place in Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" model search. 

She subsequently entered the 1996 Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest and finished in second place. A year later, Lima moved to New York City and signed with Elite Model Management.

From 2001 to 2003, Lima was in a relationship with American singer Lenny Kravitz. They moved in together and got engaged. Lima was featured in the music video for Kravitz's 2002 single, "Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)".

In 2009, Lima married Serbian NBA player Marko Jarić on Valentine's Day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In May 2009, it was reported that Lima had applied for Serbian citizenship, but it was never granted to her Jarić and Lima have two daughters. 

On 2 May 2014, Lima and Jarić announced their separation after five years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in March 2016.